Robert C. McLeod

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am pleased to present the 2014-15 Main Estimates for the NWT Housing Corporation. The main estimates propose a budget of $141.730 million, an increase of 25.7 percent from the 2013-14 Main Estimates. The budget includes a contribution of $83.482 million from the GNWT for 2014-15.

As Members are aware, one of the five priorities identified by the 17th Legislative Assembly is to address housing needs. There are significant differences in housing between our market and non-market communities and there are needs along the entire housing continuum, from homelessness to...

Size of unit, yes. They would know, yes, I suppose, if they’ve got four or five kids under their care, but I’ll look into that and see if the Member has any specific cases that he may want to share with me that brought this question about, then I’d be pleased to hear them. But as far as the actual assessment of rent itself, it has no bearing.

The transitional housing, we’ve had some success with this program and I think it’s helping people. The Member is talking about I think going from transitional housing. I’ll have Mr. Stewart add on to that in a minute.

The hot water tanks, I can’t remember...

I would be pleased to do that. We should have additional details after we meet in Fairbanks during the Arctic Winter Games that are taking place next month. There will be an opportunity there to meet with my colleagues from other jurisdictions. We should have the details ironed out a bit more and once we do have that, I do intend on informing the territorial sport organizations as well as Members of this House. I will be providing regular updates. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

We have heard from all sport organizations in the NWT that were excluded from 2016 and their preference was to have all the sports in one location to give them that opportunity to compete together. We had another location that was probably willing to step forward, but one of the excluded sports would not have been included in that particular venue. This location, we are anticipating that all six sports that were eliminated will be able to compete in one area. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

I’m glad the Member took it for the way it was intended, and we were all laughing with him. I’ll have some information for the Member by the end of next week. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, our consumer affairs office is not nestled away. If there’s a slippage in promoting it – and I did make the commitment and I will follow up with the department as soon as we’re done here – but it’s not nestled away. We don’t receive many complaints at the moment, but again, that’s still no excuse for not communicating as well as we should that the office exists and what the numbers are. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, I would like to use this opportunity to recognize my wife of almost 35 years. It will be 35 years in July. I would like to recognize my wife, Judy. Welcome to the gallery.

That is our intent, to try to cover off the cost of these games through our multi-sport line item budget if there is money left. We intend not to pass on the cost to the athletes. They would be paying their normal cost such as their registration. We are working hard with our other jurisdiction partners to see how we can work this out. We don’t know the exact details yet if there’s an opportunity for us to come back to this House to seek additional funding for that. That’s something we will work on and we will inform Members of that as we proceed. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. We are very disappointed that these sports were left out of the 2016 Games that are going to be taking place in Greenland. I have been working with my territorial colleagues and other partner jurisdictions and Ministers. We have come up with a plan to have an alternate event for the sports that were excluded. We are just working on the details now. One of our partner jurisdictions has volunteered themselves as a location, so we’re just working out the details now. We are hoping to have something to report back to our territorial sport organizations and Members of the...

As I stated before, I will follow up with the department and I will ask for an action plan and have to it to the Member by the end of March.